After a study by the revealed alarming schoolboy doping statistics in October‚ SA Rugby committed on Tuesday to strengthening its anti-doping education programme.
The institute’s report revealed six positive doping cases from 122 tests at the 2018 Craven Week.
In most cases the drugs were consistent with the type used by bodybuilders – in other words, a cocktail of anabolic steroids taken via injection.
That type of drug cannot be ingested accidentally‚ which was one of the more alarming aspects of the report.
On Monday, SA Rugby hosted a meeting at Newlands‚ chaired by World Rugby and attended by all key role-players‚ with the aim of strengthening doping education for younger players‚ their coaches and parents.
SA Rugby does not have the jurisdiction to administer doping tests outside of its U18 and U16 tournaments‚ which is why education of schoolboy coaches and parents is vital.
World Rugby’s anti-doping general manager‚ Mike Earl‚ said he was delighted with the outcome of the groundbreaking meeting in Newlands.
“This meeting strengthens the collaborative partnership between all involved in supporting clean South African rugby‚” Earl said.
“The clear commitment to furthering research‚ education and promotion from all around the table will ensure the prioritisation of this key aspect of player welfare and development for young players into the future.”
SA Rugby’s medical department senior manager, Clint Readhead, emphasised the importance of starting education and awareness at a young age.
“It is so important that players‚ coaches and parents educate and inform themselves about the dangers with respect to doping and the risks regarding the use of supplements,” Readhead said.
“Not only is doping cheating and against the spirit of the game‚ a positive test will also have a huge impact of your future involvement in the game.
“It starts with taking anti doping seriously,” he said.
In a frank interview in the December issue of SA Rugby magazine‚ the institute’s CEO, Khalid Galant, revealed that the organisation’s reach was extending to administer doping tests at big local school derbies and rugby festivals.
That would narrow the window for doping offenders.
“While we will increase our testing‚ we are really putting resources into our investigations‚” Galant said.
“We’re going to do more raids and make more arrests [of those supplying the drugs].
“The NPA [National Prosecuting Authority] needs to prosecute more of these cases.
“The Schools Act allows for drug-testing‚ but sports drugtesting has to be initiated by the headmaster‚ who can only do this on suspicion.”
Galant said testing was expensive‚ which limited the number of tests the organisation was able to perform.
“It’s also not financially feasible to test everyone at Craven Week. One test costs R2‚800.
“Then we have to pay the sample collection officers and the courier costs.
“Two of the positive tests this year required a confirmation test. If you add it up‚ it comes to about R4‚500 a test.
“The minute a boy contests the test and pleads not guilty‚ we go to a tribunal and that’s another R20‚000‚ which is what it costs to prosecute him,” Galant said.